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New council leadership chosen; Schaeffer elected council president and Ellis vice president; liaison list accepted
Summary
At its first 2025 meeting the Corvallis City Council elected Councilor Schaeffer as council president and Councilor Ellis as vice president, and accepted the mayor’s proposed council liaison and board assignments.
At its Jan. 6 meeting the Corvallis City Council elected Councilor Schaeffer as council president and Councilor Ellis as vice president, and the council voted to accept the mayor’s assignments of councilors to liaison posts and advisory boards.
Nominations for council president produced two candidates. Councilor Schaeffer and Councilor Cadena each addressed the council before ballots were cast. After one round of ballots, the city recorder announced that Councilor Schaeffer had won the presidency; tabulation of votes was read into the record.
Councilor Schaeffer said he would apply his experience and an analytical, consensus‑oriented approach to the role. “I spent last year as president ... I have been on council for five years, through a variety of council members, leadership issues, COVID,” Schaeffer said.
For vice president, Councilor Ellis and Councilors Mayors and Cadena were nominated; of the nominees, Councilor Ellis received the majority on the ballots and was elected vice president.
The council then considered the mayor’s proposed assignments of councilors to boards and commissions, which included a number of city liaisons and advisory board appointments. The mayor noted Municipal Code section 1.16.070, which limits appointments to a maximum of three consecutive full terms on the same body, and explained that some existing appointees were ineligible to continue on particular boards for that reason. The mayor said he had met individually with councilors to place them where their interests and experience best fit and asked the council to accept the list. Councilors moved and seconded acceptance of the assignments and a vote passed.
Why it matters: Council leadership and liaison appointments determine who sets meeting agendas and who represents the city on outside boards, affecting policy priorities and intergovernmental coordination for the two‑year council term.
Next steps: Newly elected president Schaeffer and vice president Ellis will assume their leadership roles immediately. The mayor and council will proceed with the board and commission appointments and follow municipal code timelines where term limits affect eligibility.
